Scanopy is for IT teams and MSPs who want a dedicated network diagram automation tool which works alongside their existing monitoring platform. NetBox is for network and automation teams building a structured source of truth to drive Ansible, Nornir, or Terraform. The table below puts the two side by side on discovery, the four topology views, pricing, and licensing, including NetBox's trade-offs.
Scanopy vs NetBox: head to head
| Scanopy | NetBox | |
|---|---|---|
| DiscoveryProtocols used to find devices and map connections | SNMP LLDP CDP ARP TCP/UDP | ICMP SNMP SSH/CLI |
| Service detectionWhether the tool fingerprints services per host (databases, web servers, containers) beyond simple port detection | Yes 240+ types | No |
| Network ViewsWhich topology views the tool produces from discovery. L2 Physical switch ports and links L3 Subnets, VLANs, routing Workload VM/container host nesting Application Service-dependency / app grouping Yes supported Tag ? unverified Greyed not supported | ||
| Live updatesWhether the map updates automatically after the initial scan | Yes | No |
| Open sourceOSI means an OSI-approved open-source license; Source available means restricted; No means proprietary | OSI AGPL-3.0 | OSI Apache-2.0 |
| PricingStarting price or pricing model | Starts at $11.99 monthly, unlimited hosts | Cloud and Enterprise: contact sales [42] |
| Also includesCapabilities beyond network diagramming | Docker Visualization | — |
How they compare
Scanopy and NetBox serve different primary purposes, and they overlap in part. NetBox is a source of truth: it models the intended state of your network (every device, rack, IP, VLAN, and cable) as structured data behind a REST and GraphQL API, and it is the de facto standard for automation teams feeding Ansible, Nornir, and Terraform. Scanopy is a documentation tool: it discovers the operational state of your network and visualizes it as four switchable views (L2, L3, workloads, applications), with per-host service detection.
Both can discover the network. NetBox Labs ships NetBox Discovery, an open-source agent that actively scans for hosts and services and captures device configs and operational state, then validates that reality against the intended design. So on the discovery layer, NetBox and Scanopy overlap. Scanopy is not a full DCIM/IPAM source of truth, though: it does not model intended state, racks, circuits, or power.
Where they clearly differ is the output. NetBox Discovery feeds NetBox's data model and flags drift; it does not produce topology maps, and NetBox's visualization is plugin-based (netbox-topology-views). Scanopy's core output is the interactive, living map itself. So the decision: if you want a structured source of truth that automation consumes and that continuously validates against intended design, NetBox (with Discovery) is the platform. If you want an automatic, always-current visual map of what is actually on your network, Scanopy is built for that and is not trying to be your data model. The two can also work together, with Scanopy as one way to keep NetBox populated.
When to choose which
Choose Scanopy when: You want a dedicated, living network-documentation tool: automatic L2, L3, workload, and application views, per-host service detection, flat pricing regardless of host count, and a free self-hostable Community edition. It sits alongside your monitoring stack rather than replacing it.
Choose NetBox when: Network automation teams that need a structured source of truth feeding Ansible, Nornir, or Terraform. It pairs naturally with a discovery tool that keeps it populated.
This is a focused, two-tool comparison. For all 13 tools side by side, see the full comparison of automated network diagram tools.
Sources
Try Scanopy
Scanopy deploys a lightweight daemon that discovers your network and builds a live topology map. No per-device fees, unlimited hosts. It pairs with whatever monitoring tool you already use.
Started as a homelabber, now deep in SNMP MIBs, Layer 3 topology, and service fingerprinting - building the network documentation tool I wished existed.